Rating: - Ladysmith Black Mambazo stole the show
I remember America's most stellar talents showing their best stuff at this, perhaps the greatest soul special ever. From Michael Jackson to Marvin Gaye to Smokey Robinson -- all the greats were there and there is no doubt none of them was going to be upstaged by the others.
But one performance stopped the show. That was Ladysmith Black Mambazo's. Their purity and gentleness, and incredible choreogrphy, drove home to all the source of the mothelode of soul. They shocked the audience into silence, and then wild applause.
Rating: - Patti Takes Over
I've most enjoyed the parts with Patti Labelle singing two songs with The New Jersey Mass Choir. I really liked when Dianna Ross asked for somebody to help her sing and the end of the show and Patti Labelle was more than glad to do so.
Rating: - Not just music................but music history!
I had the pleasure of watching this incredible program when it originally aired on NBC (May 16, 1983). Like cheese and fine wine, it gets better with age. Great sets by Stevie Wonder, Four Tops/Temptations, Lionel Richie and the original Jackson Five/Michael Jackson.
Since this was the first time in 8 years that the original Jackson Five appeared together, it looked as if Michael and brother Jermaine had a reunion/reconciliation of sorts. Jermaine, as we recall, was/is married to Berry Gordy's daughter. That kept him at Motown (in the interest of domestic tranquility) when his brothers ... Read More
Rating: - OMG!!!! No other words needed!
I am only 21 years old. I was born the year this was aired on tv and saw it at least 7-10 years later. From that day on I was a Motown music fanatic!!!!!!! I also became a Michael fan that day. Even though Motown was no longer the major hit producer that it once was, it was wonderful to see all those veteran acts perform on one stage. The production of this show...the sheer magic of the event could be felt throught the tv screen! I really want to buy this on DVD!!!! I must keep this and pass it on to my children!
Rating: - Brilliance Collecting Dust?
How is it possible that this is not out on DVD yet? It was one of the highest rated events in television history. Not just Michael Jackson, who is deservedly the most remembered part of the show, but the late Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, the incredible Temps/Tops faceoff, and many other elements demand that this piece of black culture and history be placed on a medium that will preserve it as it was meant to be.
